HOUSE OF ARTS CONCEPT

ILLUSTRATION

& CULTURE
THE RING THE LOT THE SQUARE

LOT 128-04 ARTICULATION

SKYLINE 2
SKYLINE
CONCEPT CUTS
Our endeavor ought to interpret forces of prevailing
boundaries. Our project was envisioned as a large plane
surface that represents the borders and tensions into
which the city was, or, beyond which it tends to be.
Profound cuts transmuted the membrane in which
1
these scars allowed in, elements generating continuity
in hand with raised surfaces:
AERIAL
2
The indubitable symbol of division is overrode, giving PLANE
way to an inevitable place of union. VIEW
AERIAL
VIEW 1

SITE PLAN
The analysis of the surrounding area of the project reveals a prevalent verticality of the high buildings that
surround “House Of Art” and which drastically decry the significance of a edifice of this kind.
The functions which don’t need to be naturally illuminated have been placed underground to minimize the
external volumes. We generated a void opposite to the large size of the surrounding buildings. The top, set as
low as possible, becomes a piazza. The floor design, following an “arabesque ”arrangement, has been extend-
ed to the front space of the buildings between Rue Emir Amine and Rue Ghalglioul. The extension beyond
the plot, which is optional, come from the need of having an interaction space in proportion to the cultural
significance of the building. The other functions have been organized within in a linear building [32 m high].

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Site
Limit
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FLOOR 1 FLOOR 7 FLOOR 8 FLOOR 9

FLOOR -4 FLOOR -3 FLOOR -2 FLOOR -1 FLOOR 0 (+8.00) (+12.00) (+16.00) (+20.00)
(-9.60) (-6.40) (-3.20) (0.00) (+4.00)

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THEATRE
OPTION A
‘ITALIAN STYLE’
802 PLACES

FLOOR -5 FLOOR -6 FLOOR -7

(-12.60) (-15.50) (-18.40)

SCALE
1/250 THEATRE
A FLOOR 11
The big performance hall is a modular machine OPTION C FLOOR 10 (+28.00)
conceived, trough a mechanical tiers system, to al-
‘FLAT SPACE’ (+24.00)
low 3 different configurations: “flat space”, “italian
theatre”, “round shape theatre”.
FLOOR -3 FLOOR 0 FLOOR 8
(-6.40) (+4.00) (+16.00)

TABLE OF SPACES
1. Large Performance Hall (B4)
2. Control Rooms (B4)
3. Small Performance Hall (B4)
4. Control Rooms (B4)
5. Hall (B1)
6. Butlery (B2)
7. Public Restrooms (B3)
8. Individual Dressing Room (B6)
9. Double Dressing Room (B6) 53. Manager Of Technical Services (F1)
10. Collective Dressing Room-men (B6) 54. Manager Of Distribution (F1)
11. Collective Dressing Room-women (B6) 55. Secretariat (F1)
12. Restrooms And Showers (B6) 56. Staff Offices (F1)
13. Foyer For The Artists (B6) 57. Restrooms (F1)
14. Big Meeting Room (B7) 58. Conservation Of Printing Elements (F2)
15. Projection Room (B7) 59. Conservation Of Positive Copies (F2)
16. Interpretation Booths (B7) 60. Projection Copies (F2)
17. Small Meeting Room (B7) 61. Reception And Sorting Space (F2)
18. Projection Room (B7) 62. Workshop For Copies Control (F2)
19. Interpretation Booths (B7) 63. Cleaning The Copies (F2)
B 20. Movie Theater (B8) 64. Restaurant (G1)
21. Reception Hall (A1) 65. Kitchen And Related Areas (G1)
22. Ticket Offices (A2) 66. Public Restrooms (G1)
23. Information Desk (A3) 67. Bookshop (G2)
24. Security Room (A4) 68. Boutique Stock (G2)
25. Public Restrooms (A5) 69. Director Office (H1)
26. Lounge (C1) 70. General Secretary Office (H2)
27. Exhibition Room (C2) 71. Waiting Room (H3)
B 28. Workshop (C3) 72. Meeting Rooms (H4)
29. Staff Restrooms (C4) 73. Private Restrooms (H5)
30. Butlery (C5) 74. Administrator Office (H6)
31. Sound Studios (D1) 75. Offices For Programme Planning Managers (H7)
32. Cinemas/videos/editing (D1) 76. Offices For Managers (H8)
33. Photo Laboratories (D1) 77. Offices For Trainees (H9)
34. Computer Rooms (D1) 78. Administrative Offices (H10)
35. Printing Room (D1) 79. Secretarial Pool (H11)
36. Theater And Music Workshop (D1) 80. Meeting Room (H12)
37. Dance Workshop (D1) 81. Kitchenette (H13)
38. Arts Workshop (D1) 82. Staff Restrooms (H14)
39. Classrooms (D1) 83. Area For Reprography (H15)
40. Restrooms (D2) 84. Archives (H16)
41. Reception Desk (E1) 85. Storeroom (I1)
42. Reading Room (E1) 86. Workshop (I2)
43. Shelves (E1) 87. Storage (I3)
44. Storage For Books In Stock (E1) 88. Archives (I4)
45. Reception Desk (E2) 89. Waste Storage (I5)
46. Listening And Viewing Stations (E2) 90. Staff Room (I6)
47. Storage (E2) 91. Lockers And Restrooms For Staff (I7)
48. Study Rooms (E3) 92. Infirmary (I8)
49. Offices (E4) 93. Infirmary>s Restrooms (I9)
94. Technical Miscellaneous Areas (J1)
A 50. Workshops (E5)
95. Underground Parking (K1)
51. Restrooms (E6)
52. Curator (F1) 96. Delivery Area (K2)

CROSS SECTION AA
SOUTH ELEVATION CROSS SECTION BB ELEVATION NORTH

ACCESS
The public has access to the building at level + 4,00 m either from the A labyrinth drawn on a white stone carpet as the metaphor of a urban design.
piazza through the ramps, or directly from the underground parking.The The deep cuts on the carpet, generating the ramps, mutate their meaning, from a
artists and staff entrance is placed in the rear west side of the building, division sign to a communication element.
while the delivery area in the rear east side at level 0,00 m. Dimensions, spaces, direction have been projected for a human scale, in the at-
At the reception level we find the exibition space, of which the triangle tempt to generate a fragment of an ancient city.
shape piazza, directly connected, is an open extension, used also for par- A thin oxidized cupper skin wraps the vertical windows.
ties, ideal fragment of a bazar. The perforated metal sheet filters the sun in order to provide the appropriate
A ramp takes from this outside space to the bar and its terrace. insulation.
A wide stairway from the reception takes to the cinetheque, the meeting
rooms, and the foyer of the performance halls, and the movie theatre.
SCALE
1/500

FLOOR 1 FLOOR 7 FLOOR 8 FLOOR 9

FLOOR -4 FLOOR -3 FLOOR -2 FLOOR -1 FLOOR 0 (+8.00) (+12.00) (+16.00) (+20.00)
(-9.60) (-6.40) (-3.20) (0.00) (+4.00)

SCALE
1/1000
THEATRE THEATRE
OPTION A OPTION B
‘ITALIAN STYLE’ ‘ROUND SHAPE’
802 PLACES

FLOOR -5 FLOOR -6 FLOOR -7

(-12.60) (-15.50) (-18.40)

SCALE
1/250 THEATRE FLOOR 11
The big performance hall is a modular machine OPTION C FLOOR 10 (+28.00)
conceived, trough a mechanical tiers system, to al-
‘FLAT SPACE’ (+24.00)
low 3 different configurations: “flat space”, “italian
theatre”, “round shape theatre”.
FLOOR -3 FLOOR 0 FLOOR 8
(-6.40) (+4.00) (+16.00)

TABLE OF SPACES
1. Large Performance Hall (B4)
2. Control Rooms (B4)
3. Small Performance Hall (B4)
4. Control Rooms (B4)
5. Hall (B1)
6. Butlery (B2)
7. Public Restrooms (B3)
8. Individual Dressing Room (B6)
9. Double Dressing Room (B6) 53. Manager Of Technical Services (F1)
10. Collective Dressing Room-men (B6) 54. Manager Of Distribution (F1)
11. Collective Dressing Room-women (B6) 55. Secretariat (F1)
12. Restrooms And Showers (B6) 56. Staff Offices (F1)
13. Foyer For The Artists (B6) 57. Restrooms (F1)
14. Big Meeting Room (B7) 58. Conservation Of Printing Elements (F2)
15. Projection Room (B7) 59. Conservation Of Positive Copies (F2)
16. Interpretation Booths (B7) 60. Projection Copies (F2)
17. Small Meeting Room (B7) 61. Reception And Sorting Space (F2)
18. Projection Room (B7) 62. Workshop For Copies Control (F2)
19. Interpretation Booths (B7) 63. Cleaning The Copies (F2)
20. Movie Theater (B8) 64. Restaurant (G1)
21. Reception Hall (A1) 65. Kitchen And Related Areas (G1)
22. Ticket Offices (A2) 66. Public Restrooms (G1)
23. Information Desk (A3) 67. Bookshop (G2)
24. Security Room (A4) 68. Boutique Stock (G2)
25. Public Restrooms (A5) 69. Director Office (H1)
26. Lounge (C1) 70. General Secretary Office (H2)
27. Exhibition Room (C2) 71. Waiting Room (H3)
28. Workshop (C3) 72. Meeting Rooms (H4)
29. Staff Restrooms (C4) 73. Private Restrooms (H5)
30. Butlery (C5) 74. Administrator Office (H6)
31. Sound Studios (D1) 75. Offices For Programme Planning Managers (H7)
32. Cinemas/videos/editing (D1) 76. Offices For Managers (H8)
33. Photo Laboratories (D1) 77. Offices For Trainees (H9)
34. Computer Rooms (D1) 78. Administrative Offices (H10)
35. Printing Room (D1) 79. Secretarial Pool (H11)
36. Theater And Music Workshop (D1) 80. Meeting Room (H12)
37. Dance Workshop (D1) 81. Kitchenette (H13)
38. Arts Workshop (D1) 82. Staff Restrooms (H14)
39. Classrooms (D1) 83. Area For Reprography (H15)
40. Restrooms (D2) 84. Archives (H16)
41. Reception Desk (E1) 85. Storeroom (I1)
42. Reading Room (E1) 86. Workshop (I2)
43. Shelves (E1) 87. Storage (I3)
44. Storage For Books In Stock (E1) 88. Archives (I4)
45. Reception Desk (E2) 89. Waste Storage (I5)
46. Listening And Viewing Stations (E2) 90. Staff Room (I6)
47. Storage (E2) 91. Lockers And Restrooms For Staff (I7)
48. Study Rooms (E3) 92. Infirmary (I8)
49. Offices (E4) 93. Infirmary>s Restrooms (I9)
50. Workshops (E5) 94. Technical Miscellaneous Areas (J1)
51. Restrooms (E6) 95. Underground Parking (K1)
52. Curator (F1) 96. Delivery Area (K2)

CROSS SECTION AA
SOUTH ELEVATION CROSS SECTION BB ELEVATION NORTH

ACCESS
The public has access to the building at level + 4,00 m either from the A labyrinth drawn on a white stone carpet as the metaphor of a urban design.
piazza through the ramps, or directly from the underground parking.The The deep cuts on the carpet, generating the ramps, mutate their meaning, from a
artists and staff entrance is placed in the rear west side of the building, division sign to a communication element.
while the delivery area in the rear east side at level 0,00 m. Dimensions, spaces, direction have been projected for a human scale, in the at-
At the reception level we find the exibition space, of which the triangle tempt to generate a fragment of an ancient city.
shape piazza, directly connected, is an open extension, used also for par- A thin oxidized cupper skin wraps the vertical windows.
ties, ideal fragment of a bazar. The perforated metal sheet filters the sun in order to provide the appropriate
A ramp takes from this outside space to the bar and its terrace. insulation.
A wide stairway from the reception takes to the cinetheque, the meeting
rooms, and the foyer of the performance halls, and the movie theatre.
It is not easy to interpret, from books or newspapers, the meaning of a place, the spirit of a culture
that pursues a new birth after such a dramatic experience. It is not easy to get into the deep and
practice needs of people working to piece together a nation. Not easy to take the decision to
participate to a competition with so many significant issues.
In the end prevailed in us the desire to challenge with this city, which self defines the “Door to
Orient”, using the instruments of architecture and without any haughtiness of giving a final
interpretation.
We decided to participate using the city as an access point to a culture so close and so far at the
same time. A project works if it brings knowledge and growth.

URBAN RELATIONS
The project site, located on the limit of the “old town”, has a high value for Beirut. It is part of the
border, sensitive and ambiguous place, where two urban areas, so different and distinct, have a
dialogue. Since the beginning of our approach to this competition, we focused our attention on the
interpretation of the border. Border means limit, cut, scar, discontinuity, but it is also the place
where people, cultures, differences meet. The research of a new identity based on this concept
might give a deeper meaning to the future.
Through this approach, remaining inside the site limit, we conceived the building to a human
scale.
Our purpose was to realize a permeable space, a place for gatherings, meetings, exchange, in
other ways a “piazza”. It all became clear: consider the limit as a “piazza”, a modular space
between the two distinct areas and transform it into a place for conceptual debate.
Beyond the symbolic and urban values, it seems correct, for a Mediterranean city, to create an
outdoor space for art and culture. A place where socializing is encouraged, a place to share
together with the other public spaces of the city.
The top of the building, set as low as possible, becomes a “piazza”. The floor design, following an
“arabesque” arrangement, as been extended to the front space of the building between Rue Emir
Amine and Rue Galghoul, to Jean Nouvel’s tower. The extension beyond the plot, which is
optional, comes from the need of having an interaction space in proportion the cultural significance
of the building.
The preliminary analysis and 3d simulations highlighted a volumetric and vertical predominance of
the surrounding buildings, which drastically decry the significance of a edifice of this kind,
suggesting a horizontal solution for the project. Treating the building as a piece of design was one
of the ways to make it gain value in such a comparison, but we were not really interested in this
approach.
The functions which don’t need to be naturally illuminated ( workshops, performance halls,
storage, meeting rooms) have been placed underground to minimize the external volumes. We
generated a void opposite to the large size of the surrounding buildings. The other functions have
been organized within in a linear building [32 m high].

SYMBOLIC VALUES
A building for culture and art can be conceived, to our opinion, following two strategies. One is a
case, modular, a neutral frame to fill with exhibitions, shows, concerts. Another way is to consider
the building as part of the artistic values that occur inside, giving to the edifice poetic, expressive,
communicative and evocative features. The case reflects the content.
We decided, after a harsh debate inside work team, for the second choice. Has prevailed the idea
that in the history of a city or during the times of changing and urban transformation, like Beirut is
going through, architecture, for its symbolic features, has a predominant role in the construction of
a new configuration.
A labyrinth drawn on a white stone carpet acts as the metaphor of a urban structure, of a city. A
city looking for a new identity, but hard to achieve due to its amount of directions. The ramps
created into the surface, were generated by deep scars which meaning mutates from being a
division sign to evolve into a strong communication element, the access to the building. Through a
discontinuity
you reach another dimension, a mental dimension, place of the art. A place symbolically linked to
the historical city, a fragment of a bazaar. Dimensions, spaces, pathways have been projected to
the man scale, in the attempt to recall the human spatial experience inside an ancient city. Art
evokes history and tradition, not trough vernacular processes or oriental settings, but researching
its deep meanings with fine allusions. We would like our project to transmit an aware and tragic
optimism, an unstereotyped question over human nature, essential task of each culture.
In silent opposition to the part of the project described, there is a linear block were have been
distributed all the functions preparatory art: library, workshops, administration. Study and
inspiration necessitate intimacy, are personal experiences, they have to be preserved from show
blast and hast communication.
THE BUILDING
The project articulates the House of Arts & Culture into two distinct parts. The design of the
“piazza”, with its large hexagonal matrix, to be seen from overlooking positions, evokes a labyrinth,
a twine of directions. The background is made of white stone while three different darker shades
delineate the drawing. A thin oxidized cupper skin wraps all the vertical openings generated by
cuts and translations. Light penetrates the perforating metal sheet, acting also as sunscreen,
generating the proper environmental comfort. The natural light, for example, dominates the foyer
entering from the wide triangular windows between the ramps, reproducing the enchanting effect of
light typical of the Arabic-ottoman architectural tradition.
A Cartesian fabric wraps the vertical building. A sunscreen made of metal and vertical ceramic
pipes, slightly detached, confer to the façade a natural and vibrating aspect.

ACCESS
The public has access to the building at level + 4,00 m either from the piazza through the ramps, or
directly from the underground parking. The artists and staff entrance is placed in the rear west
side of the building, while the delivery area is in the rear east side at level 0,00 m.

EXIBITION
At the reception level we find the exhibition of which the triangle shape piazza, directly connected,
is the outdoor extension. In this outside space, ideal fragment of a bazaar and also used also for
parties, overlooks the bookshop introducing a commercial function. A ramp takes from the piazza
to the bar and its terrace.
The exhibition spaces are modular and dividable depending on requirements. Simplicity
characterizes this spaces in order for art to prevail.

FOYER
A wide stairway from the reception takes to the cineteque,at level 0.00, the meeting rooms, the
foyer of the performance halls and movie theatre, at level -6.40. There is a further access to the
stalls at level -9.60. The space of the foyer has been conceived as a complex system of pathways,
accesses, flying bridges, triple heights.
Natural light dominates this articulated space, where the terrace of the bar opens into a pleasant
space for a break.

MOVIE THEATRE
The movie theatre has been projected following the projection of the ramps. What could seem pure
formalism actually corresponds to the need of having a wide screen despite the small dimensions.
High visibility is guaranteed by the sits arranged on grades.
PERFORMANCE HALLS
The big performance hall, hosting around 800 people, is a modular machine conceived, trough a
mechanical platform system, to allow 3 different configurations: 1) “flat space”, 2) “italian theatre”,
3) “round shape theatre”.
1. The stalls and the stage assume the flat configuration at level -8.60, accesses at levels -
6.40 and -9.60.
2. The pneumatic pistons reconfigure the stalls rising the platforms with the seats from level -
9.60 to -8.60. The acting space is made of the stage at level -8.60 and the orchestra pit at
level -11. The audience can be made to enter at levels -6.40 and -9.60.
3. Part of the stalls, in the flat configuration at level -8.60, becomes the stage. The stage, in
configuration 2, is reconfigured by the pneumatic pistons in grades. In this arrangement the
scene gains a central position with the tribunes all around. The audience can be made to
enter at levels -6.40 and -9.60.

The small performance hall, hosting 250 people, has been conceived like a technologically
advanced black box. Platforms on pneumatic pistons allow the floor to be easily reconfigured.
The dressing rooms, storage spaces, and technical functions have been placed around the stage
area. The loads, from the delivery area at level 0.00 are moved vertically to the stages, exhibition
and workshops through a freight elevator.
The workshops, the library and administration have been placed in the higher building. The spaces
follow a linear distribution and two stairs, arranged on the short sides, serve all the floors. Access
to elevators and stairs is allowed either from the reception or the underground parking.
The double height in the reading room of the library and the workshops overlooking the reception
create significant spaces. The restaurant, as in the typical oriental tradition, has been placed on the
top. A wide terrace doubles the space during good weather conditions. Costumers can be made to
enter directly from the piazza as requested.